Match book



M. S. TELLER Nov. 6, 1951 MATCH BOOK Filed Aug. 3l, 1949 Ad verf/L91 g INVENTOR Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3 Claims.

(Cl. 20G- 29) This invention relates to match books, and parv I ticularly to match books of the type embodying paper covers upon which legends, generally advertisements, are printed.

The general purpose of the invention is to provide a match book embodying the customary match package and a cover of conventional over-n all dimensions and having relatively foldable panels, so that the book may be used in well known manner, but in which the cover is so modifled by incision that the match book, or the match book cover after the matches have been detached, may be utilized in novel ways not heretofore contemplated. Thus by incision the cover may be provided with a tab or tongue adapted to be laterally deected upon the application of slight pressure to coact with the body of the cover in lightly gripping between them the edge of a paper sheet, so as to be able. to function as a bookmark. If the cover is preserved and made use of after the matches of the book have been `consumed the effectiveness of the match book as an advertising medium is, of course,y increased.

Also the cover is so constructed that one or more matches of the match package may be deilected and the heads thereof passed through the front panel of the cover, that panel having been locally weakened by incision to permit such passage and the stem of the match being frictionally gripped by the edges dened by the incision so that the match constitutes a bracing member holding the two major panels of the cover in fixed spaced relation. When the parts are so arranged the match book resembles anA easel of small s ize and is well adapted to be used as a table place marker. The tongue which enables the cover to eventually function as a book mark `may be employed, when the match book is arranged as a place marker, to support a name card, cigarettes or other object.

The invention may be embodied in match books which vary considerably in size and details of construction. One such embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a perspective view of the improved match book, shown in closed condition;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the book, the cover being open;

Figure 3 is an edge view of the match book shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows the cover in plan view in association with a sheet of paper and after the matches have been consumed, the cover being in use as a bookmark; and

Figures 5 and 6 are side and front elevations,

respectively, of the match book arranged as a table place marker or the like.

' In general appearance the improved match book resembles the conventional, well known article and it comprises the same essential elements, the match package P, the cover C and staple S. The match package P includes two rows `of bendable matches l Il, the matches of each row springing from a common web II and being readily detachable therefrom. The cover C is an elongated rectangular, flexible sheet, preferably of cardboard and includes the front and back panels I2 and I3, intermediate connecting web I4 and the panel I5 which carries a coating of ignition material. The webs II are between the panel I5 and the rear panel I3 and are secured .in position by means of one or more staples S which are passed through the four thicknesses of paper. The front and rear panels may be folded into substantial parallelism to close the book (Figure l), or may be moved into a common plane (Figure 2), or into divergent planes (Figure 5), or into still other angular relationships.

The front panel I2 is cut or incised to provide a tongue I'I which extends longitudinally of the panel, the tongue I1 merging with or joining the body of the panel along the base or hinge line b-b relatively close to the free or unattached end of the panel. Tongue I'I is relatively long and is defined by a group of incisions in end-to-end relationship including the relatively long parallel side incisions I8, the transversely extending teru minal incision I9 and the smaller incisions 2li rwhich are spaced from each other and from the longer incisions I8 and I 9 so as to leave a plun rality of unbroken but relatively weak bridging elements 2| connecting the tip or free end of the tongue and the body of the panel. Bridging elements 2I are broken upon the application of light pressure to the end of tongue I'I and the tongue may be then deflected in either direction, as indicated at IIa and I'Ib in Figure 3.

Short transverse incisions located upon opposite sides of tongue I'I, and extending outwardly from incisions I8 along base line b-b, meet, respectively, the ends of short longitudinally extending incisions 24, the incisions I8, 23 and 24, definingshort tongues 25 the free ends of which terminate at base line b-b. Each of these tongues may be laterally displaced by the pressure of a match head, and the end of the match thus caused to penetrate the front panel I2, as 'shown in Figures 5 and 6, whether or not the tongue I1 has been laterally deflected, tongues 25 then coacting with the adjacent edges of the panel in frlctionally gripping the match stems pushed through the panel. In this manner the front and rear panels may/be maintained in fixed relationship (Figures 5 and 6) and the match book may be used as a table place marker; the tongue l1 being used to support a place card 28, or cigarettes 29, or both.

Whether the match book is used in this or in the conventional manner the. cover may ultimately be employed as a book mark in the manner indicated in Figure 4, a portion of a sheet of paper being indicated at 30. If the matches have been consumed the end of the cover may be torn ofi', including webs H and panel I5, as shown in Figure 4, but the book may also be used entirely as a book mark, if desired, i. e. in theform in which it appears in Figure 3.V Itis found that,`

is incised at the base of the tongue I1,`With the short laterally extending incisions 23 and longitudinally extending incisions 24 supplementing the major incisions I8, the'grip of the cover upon a sheet of paper is rendered iirmer and more resilient than would otherwise be the case. y

Minor changes in the arrangement of incisions and shape of the tongues do not depart from the invention. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A match book comprising a package of matches and a cover therefor, the cover being a generally rectangular sheet having generally rectangular front and back panels and a portion connecting the same, said sheet being flexible so that the panels may be relatively folded into substantial parallelism to form a match book of conventional form, or folded into a common plane, the match package being secured to the free end of the back panel and the front panel bengvincised to provide a tongue adapted to be deflected from the plane of the panel upon the application of slight pressure, said tongue extending longitudinally of the front panel `and joining the panel along a base or hinge line Within the panel' and adjacent the outerv end of the panel, the front panel being also transverselyincised along said base or hinge line, on each side of said tongue, said transverse incisions beingk relatively short and intersecting, respectively, the incisions deiining the longitudinally extending edges of the tongue adjacent its base. v 'f 2. A match book comprising "a package of matches and a cover therefor, the cover being a generally rectangular sheet having generally rectangular front and back panels and a portion connecting the same, said sheet being flexible so that the panels may be relatively folded into substantial parallelism to form a match book of conventional form, or folded into a common plane, the match package being secured to the free end of the back panel and the front panel being incised to provide a tongue adapted to be deflected from the plane of the panel upon the application of slight pressure, said tongue extending longitudinally of the front panel and joining the panel along a base or hinge line within the panel and adjacent the outer end of the panel, the front panel being also transversely incised along said base or hinge line, on each side of said tongue, and longitudinally incised, on each side of the tongue, said longitudinal incisions being relatively short and intersecting the transverse incisions and the transverse incisions intersecting, respectively, those incisions which define the longitudinally extending edges of the tongue adjacent the base thereof.

3. A match book comprising a package of matches and a. cover therefor, the cover being' a generally rectangular sheet having generally rectangular front and back panels and a portion connecting the same, said sheet being flexible so that the panels may be relatively folded into substantial parallelism to form a match book oi conventional form, or folded into a common plane, the match package being secured to the free end of the back panel and the front panel being incised to provide a tongue disposed wholly Within the panel and adapted to be deiiected from the plane of the panel upon the application of slight pressure, said tongue extending longitudinally of the front panel and joining the panel along a base or hinge line within the panel and adjacent the outer end of the pan-el, said front panel being further incised laterally of said tongue to provide two relatively short narrow secondary tonguesA the free ends of which are at said'base line.

MYRON S. TELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,002,571 Farrelly May 28, 1935 2,272,404 Firestone Feb. 10, 1942 2,432,656 Cook Dec. 16, 1947 2,448,990 Levine Sept. 7, 1948 

